howdy all, im taking my license test in 23 days and am wondering if any americans had any tips to help me pass my test. my dads taking me tomorrow to teach me how to parallel park. no offense to europeans, but you all drive on a different side of the street and diff side of car.

July 5th, 2005, 12:38 AM

insanityfell

Don't know how it is in Kentucky, but here in Ohio they'll keep you on the road during the test if they feel you are nervous. They test more of your reactions and attentiveness than your ability to drive. The more nervous you look, the longer your driving test may be.

Also, we no longer take the parallel parking test. Instead, they setup up 5 cones laid out like 5 dots on dice. Parked next to the center cone (lets say on the right), they have you pull up to the left in between the two cones in front of you. Then you back up around the center cone and between the two cones behind you. It's parellel parking technique, but not "true" parellel parking.

Anyways, good luck! Practice as much as you can!

July 5th, 2005, 01:00 AM

resStealth

my friend scotty told me to just sit back and drive and ill do fine

July 5th, 2005, 03:43 AM

Ponch

Drive hours and hours on small sinuous roads so that the technical part of driving becomes automatic. Then you can focus on dangers and what the guy wants you to do.
+We do drive on the same side of the road (and of the car) as you. Only UK and their ex Empire drive on the left. And Japan.

July 5th, 2005, 04:47 AM

Martin_89

thats why its so cheap for us to import jap cars.

your driving test seems sooo easy compaired to ours. my mums an instructor and right now even her best drivers are sometimes failing for stupid little things like not puting the handbrake on when stopped at a roundabout :eek:

July 5th, 2005, 07:42 AM

jankerson

They have different driving rules overseas than we do here in the US so the driving tests will be somewhat different. :)

July 5th, 2005, 12:53 PM

resStealth

man we went to the park and practiced in an empty parking lot. the first five tries i would have been on the sidewalk. im starting to get pretty good at now. to all americans, when your parked on a hill what ways are you supposed to point the steering wheel. im thinking whether your pointing up or downhill you should turn the wheel so it would roll off the street intothe curb

July 5th, 2005, 12:59 PM

Martin_89

you learning in an auto or manual?

July 5th, 2005, 02:06 PM

resStealth

auto, its hard enough. i cant imagine doing it in a manual transy. id probably rip the transmission out lol ;)

July 5th, 2005, 02:20 PM

Martin_89

lol an auto must be soo easy, all you think about is accelerator, brake and steering!

ive only had a couple of shots in my car and ive got the hang of the clutch already.

July 5th, 2005, 03:05 PM

resStealth

oh i can drive a manual. i meant parallel parking in a manual

July 5th, 2005, 04:19 PM

woodman19_99

Quote:

Originally Posted by resStealth

man we went to the park and practiced in an empty parking lot. the first five tries i would have been on the sidewalk. im starting to get pretty good at now. to all americans, when your parked on a hill what ways are you supposed to point the steering wheel. im thinking whether your pointing up or downhill you should turn the wheel so it would roll off the street intothe curb

Facing up hill or down hill doesn't make a difference, just steer the front wheels into the curb. Just think, if the breaks let go, where would you rather have the car go, down the street or bump into the curb?

July 5th, 2005, 05:12 PM

Martin_89

i know in a manual your ok if you leave it in gear it wont move anywhere, what about if you leave it in drive?

July 5th, 2005, 05:31 PM

krupted

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodman19_99

Facing up hill or down hill doesn't make a difference, just steer the front wheels into the curb. Just think, if the breaks let go, where would you rather have the car go, down the street or bump into the curb?

well, not entirely right. if your parked against a curb on the right, facing uphill, then you want your wheel turned hard left, the wheels pointing towards the street. this way say brakes let go, the front wheels rest right on the curb- at least this way the car wont even back up enough to hit the car behind it. It depends on what way your facing and if your up or down hill, but like you said all you have to think is how the car would react if it slipped out of gear.

A manual tranny is easier to drive than an automatic once you know how- believe me, you can manuver the car much easier in high traffic with a stick. My new truck is automatic, and when i hit it trying to get around a slower car it takes a second or two for it to disengage, shift, and re-wind back up. By that time, in a stickshift, i would have nt even been able to see the guy in my mirrors anymore:D

Why does everyone get so bent on parallel parking? its not hard, just think of whats going on and learn to use your mirrors . all of them, theyre much more usefull than it seems at first.

The key to driving is knowing the size of your car, i would go back to that parking lot (great place to learn) and set up cones in a line. Pull in front of that line, and try and back right up to it. Once you think the bumper is right on them, get out and look at the three feet you still have to go ;) Also, do this for the sides and even front. Knowing the clearances you can get away with goes leaps and bounds for parallel parking- mostly, when you see a guy try to park he doesnt even get his car close to the other parked cars, and then he wonders why it never works.

July 5th, 2005, 08:34 PM

Martin_89

that reminds me of when i was parking my car beside a kerb outside my house, i was soo worried that i was going to hit the kerb and **** my wheels that when i acctually got out i was about 4ft away from the kerb!